The present invention relates to telephone status notification systems in general, and more particularly to the use of computer networks to relay the status of one or more telephones.
It is known to provide users connected via a computer terminal to a computer network with details of the network connection status of other users similarly connected. Applicant""s U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/791,437, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a system for providing a user with the network address, network connection status, and availability status of one or more users, to enable them, for example, to initiate a point to point connection with each other.
Public telephone systems, as presently constituted, generally only provide the status of a telephone at the time one attempts to establish a connection with it. Thus, one gets a busy signal, call waiting signal, or a ringing tone, etc. Some telephone carriers provide a service whereby a person who calls another party and receives a busy signal will be alerted when the telephone number called becomes available, but again status information is provided conditionally on having dialed a number previously. The ability to get an on-line report on the status of one or more telephone numbers automatically, or of receiving the logical status set by a user regarding his availability for a telephone call, as separate from its actual physical status, independent of the need to try to call the desired number, does not exist today among telephone carriers or telephone devices connected to the public telephone system, or the telephone line at home (as opposed to the carrier), or among telephone owners today. However, in general, all the necessary information exists or can be acquired, and can be made available by telephone carriers, by a telephone device which is connected to the system, or the telephone line at home which is connected to the public system, or by the telephone owner. PABXs and other specialized telephony systems such as call centers, telephony help desks, or Automatic Call Distribution Systems do posses the possibility of getting the status of their extensions, but while this information may be available to users connected to such systems by various known methods, it is not available to seeking users of the general public who are not subscribers or extensions of such systems.
The present invention seeks to provide a system for requesting the status of a telephone line, recognizing the status, and passing on the status to one or more requesting computer network addresses. The system additionally provides for automatic call-back and conferencing once a telephone line""s status has been determined.
There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a telephone line status notification system including at least one telephone line having a status, a communications network, at least one communications terminal which is connectable to the communications network and which is employable by a seeking user to communicate via the communications network a status request concerning the status of the at least one telephone line, apparatus for processing the status request the apparatus for processing is connectable to the communications network for receiving the status request from the seeking user therethrough and communicating the request, and apparatus for acquiring the status of the at least one telephone line, the apparatus for acquiring is in communication with the apparatus for processing for receiving the status request therefrom, and the apparatus for acquiring is connectable to the communications network for communicating the status via the communications network.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the status request includes a unique identification of any of the users.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention apparatus is included for identifying a network address associated with the unique identification.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention at least one server is included which is connectable to the communications network.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention either of the apparatus for acquiring and the apparatus for processing is resident in the at least one server.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the apparatus for processing is resident in the communications terminal employable by the seeking user.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a communications terminal employable by a sought user and connectable to the communications network is included.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a telephone connectable to the telephone line is included.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the apparatus for acquiring is resident in the telephone.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the apparatus for acquiring is resident in the communications terminal employable by the sought user.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the sought user communicates the status to the apparatus for acquiring via the communications terminal employable by the sought user.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the telephone line is part of a PABX system, and the status is communicated to a user not regularly connected to the PABX system.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a cellular telephone in communication with the communications terminal employable by the seeking user is included.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a cellular telephone in communication with the communications terminal employable by the sought user is included.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention e the communications terminal employable by the seeking user is a cellular telephone.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the communications terminal employable by the sought user is a cellular telephone.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the communications terminal employable by the sought user is adapted to receive a call-back request from the seeking user and initiate a call to the seeking user via the telephone line.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the seeking user has a telephone line status, and the communications terminal employable by the sought user is further adapted to initiate the call to the seeking user once the seeking user telephone line status has been determined.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the sought user has a telephone line status, and the communications terminal employable by the sought user is further adapted to initiate the call to the seeking user once the sought user telephone line status has been determined.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the sought user has a telephone line status, the seeking user has a telephone line status, and the communications terminal employable by the sought user is further adapted to initiate the call to the seeking user once either of the sought user telephone line status and the seeking user telephone line status has been determined.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention apparatus is included for conferencing connectable to the communications network and adapted to receive a conferencing request from the seeking user and initiate a conference call between the seeking user and at least one sought user.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the apparatus for conferencing is further adapted to first initiate a call to the seeking user and telephonically receive from the seeking user either of a telephone number of the sought user and an identifier associated with a telephone number of the sought user.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the at least one sought user has a telephone line status, and the apparatus for conferencing is further adapted to initiate the conference call once the sought user telephone line status has been determined.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the seeking user has a telephone line status, and the apparatus for conferencing is further adapted to initiate the conference call once the seeking user telephone line status has been determined.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the at least one seeking user has a telephone line status, the at least one sought user has a telephone line status, and the apparatus for conferencing is further adapted to initiate the conference call once either of the seeking user telephone line status and the sought user telephone line status has been determined.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the apparatus for acquiring maintains at least one telephone number associated with at least one sought user.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the either of the apparatus for acquiring and the apparatus for processing includes apparatus for checking the status request from the seeking user for an authorization.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the communications network is the Internet.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the cellular telephone is adapted to communicate using either of IP protocols and non-IP protocols.
There is additionally provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a method for providing telephone line status, the method including providing at least one telephone line having a status, providing a communications network, communicating via the communications network a status request from a seeking user, the status request concerning the status of the at least one telephone line, acquiring the status of the at least one telephone line, and communicating the status via the communications network, thereby providing the telephone line status.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the communicating via the communications network a status request step includes communicating a unique identification of any of the users.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the method includes identifying a network address associated with the unique identification.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the acquiring step includes acquiring the status of the at least one telephone line from a sought user.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the method includes the steps of receiving a call-back request from the seeking user at a sought user, and initiating a call-back to the seeking user from the sought user via the telephone line.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the method includes the steps of receiving a conferencing request from the seeking user, and initiating a conference call between the seeking user and at least one sought user.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the initiating step includes initiating once either of the seeking user""s telephone line status and the sought user""s telephone line status has been determined.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the acquiring step includes checking the status request from the seeking user for an authorization.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the communicating the status step includes communicating the status to either of the seeking user and a recipient indicated in the status request.
It is noted that throughout the specification and claims the phrase xe2x80x9cstatus of a telephone,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cstatus of a telephone number,xe2x80x9d or derivations and permutations thereof refer to whether a telephone line at a given telephone number is physically in use or not, or whether it is logically xe2x80x9cin usexe2x80x9d or not, that is, whether or not the end-user or owner of a telephone line wishes to be contacted there through specifically by a telephone.
It is further noted that throughout the specification and claims the term xe2x80x9cPABXxe2x80x9d encompasses other specialized telephony systems such as call centers, telephony help desks, or Automatic Call Distribution Systems
It is further noted that throughout the specification and claims the term xe2x80x9cuserxe2x80x9d encompasses any entity, preferably human, that operates a computer or other communications terminal, preferably for the purpose of connecting to and communicating via a communications network. It is further noted that the term xe2x80x9cseeking userxe2x80x9d encompasses any user who requests the status of a telephone line. It is further noted that the term xe2x80x9csought userxe2x80x9d encompasses any user whose telephone line status is desired by a seeking user. It is further noted that the term xe2x80x9cInternetxe2x80x9d encompasses other communications systems using the Internet Protocol such as, but not limited to, xe2x80x9cIntranetxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cExtranetxe2x80x9d networks.